Mine
by Artimus-Maora
Summary: The Four Swords Links are on a routine journey when something horrible happens to Red's teddy bear! Is he truly inconsoleable, or can Blue help? Blue x Red- don't like, don't read! Rated T for some language on Blue's part. XD
1. Chapter 1 An Ordinary Beginning

Mine- Red x Blue

Author's notes! This story contains Blue x Red- don't like, DON'T READ!~ Simple as that. XD Not much to say other than that it revolves around all four of the Links, though primarily Blue and Red. I may or may not work Shadow into this later, but I'll have to see where I can put him in… XD Without further ado, here goes nothing!

Chapter One- An Ordinary Beginning

It was an off-day for us four Links; our next task wasn't a very urgent one, so we weren't breaking any land speed records trying to reach the village that lays a few days journey ahead of us. Princess Zelda just wanted us to check up on a new guard setup that had recently been set into place there, and since there had only been positive feedback from it as of yet, we were taking our time getting there.

Since it was barely mid-February, the normally balmy Hyrule Field wasn't quite so warm- it was pleasant, rather, but too much wind could make you shiver. Our trip so far had been an uneventful one- a fact that did not go unnoticed by us four.

Green, who was leading the group as usual, stretched his arms above his head and let out a happy sigh. "It feels really nice to not worry about getting attacked for once, doesn't it?" He grins.

Red, who is third in line and slightly to my rear left, giggles and says, "Uh-huh! For once we can just take in how beautiful Hyrule is!" Bouncing happily along, that appears to be exactly what he's doing- taking the phrase 'stop to smell the roses' all but literally.

At the back of the group Vio shrugs, his nose buried in a book like was typical. "I suppose so. At least I can concentrate."

"Yeah, like you normally pay attention," I roll my eyes sarcastically. "Sometimes I think you just tune out and wait for _us_ to alert _you_ to an enemy."

Green frowns at me, but Vio just shrugs again. "Well, you may as well put that 'sixth sense' of yours to good use, I suppose." (1) The potential situation diffused, Green and Red laugh as I stick out my tongue in annoyance.

It was a bit of an inside joke among us four- I always seemed to be able to sense enemies before they were anywhere near us, not to mention I had a habit of being an extremely good guesser. I don't personally think it's anything special, but the other three keep bringing it up like it's a big deal.

We lapse into silence again, none of us feeling the need to talk a lot. Green's easy stride sets the pace, and I follow a short distance behind him. Vio lags slightly behind, but it's a very measured distance- close enough to still be a definite part of the group, but far enough to make it known he didn't want to socialize.

Red, on the other hand, is pretty much all over the place. He skips along, sometimes darting up to tag along beside Green and other times falling back to hang with Vio. For the most part, though, he tries to keep his peppy pace close to mine.

It sometimes bugged me how he was always clinging to me- he never bothered Green or Vio as much as he did to me. He'd always come to me first, even if it was something that I know the other two would have been able to help him better with. But on the other hand, I guess I didn't really mind all that much.

Right now he's up ahead chatting aimlessly with Green- I don't know how he always manages to be so cheery. It would hurt my mouth if I ever smiled that much. I swing my arms a little as I walk, staring up at the clouds in the sky and wondering how quickly the wind had to blow to make them move that fast.

"Hey, Blue!" When I hear my name being called and a tight pressure on my arm, I snap back to attention. Red has bounced back to my side, and is currently hugging my arm and gazing up at me happily.

"What?" I grunt, my gruffness pretty much just out of reflex at this point. The other three knew full well that I didn't mean it half the time, and Green and Vio knew pretty well that I meant it even less towards Red.

"Green told me that a bowstring can pretty much work the same way as a slingshot can- is that true?" He tilts his head to the side in an expression of total innocent curiosity. "I've never tried firing anything other than arrows from a bow."

"Of course it's true," I nod, smirking slightly. "Hey Vio, give me your bow." Our purple counterpart wordlessly pulls out the bow, handing it to me without even looking up from his book.

"Don't break it, and if you do something stupid then I wasn't involved."

"You never are, are you?" I roll my eyes. Without stopping I reach down and scoop up a medium-sized pebble, weighing it in my hand before holding it to the bowstring like I would an arrow. Red releases my arm, watching me with a gaping mouth.

He must realize what I'm going to do by now, but as usual he doesn't say anything. I take careful aim, and when I release the pebble it shoots in a perfect trajectory to hit Green squarely in the back of his head.

Green lets out a yelp as his hand flies to the back of his head, and before he can spin around I chuck the bow back at Vio. As he turns his angry glare on us all, I point my finger at Vio. "He did it," I offer automatically.

"That's BS- when's the last time Vio started something out of the blue?" Green snorts. Vio just narrows his eyes and puts his bow away.

"I thought I told you to not involve me?" He hisses, glaring at me too.

"I thought you'd have learned by now not to take my word on something like that?" I snicker. I see Vio smirk slightly, and I'm about to ask why when I feel a sharp stinging line of pain sear along my right shoulder. "OW! WHAT THE- ?"

I whirl around angrily to see Green laughing his head off, the slingshot in his hand. He'd snapped the rubber band against my shoulder, and as I yank the neck of my tunic away I can see a clear line where the band struck my skin.

"Dammit, Green!" I holler, rubbing the injury. "That HURT!"

"You were asking for it!" He retorts saucily, twirling the slingshot before pocketing it and turning around. "Shall we continue?" He glances back over his shoulder to smile innocently at me.

I grumble moodily as our group resumes its pace. I see Red covering his mouth with both hands, no doubt stifling a fit of giggles. "What are you laughing at?" I snap, still rubbing the sore spot gingerly.

"Sorry, Blue," Red apologizes with a slight smile. "You just made a funny face when Green got you."

"Oh, and I don't suppose you could have warned me he was sneaking up on me with the intent to numb my shoulder with pain?" I grump.

Red just shrugs, his grin the slightest bit cheeky. "Well, I could have squealed on you when you were gonna hit Green, but I didn't. I had to play it fair." I don't reply to that- he had a decent point. Sensing he's made a case I can't argue with, Red giggles again and hugs my arm briefly. "You're not mad at me, are you Blue?"

I fix an angry glare on my face and turn it full-blast upon him; he shrinks back and hides his face in my shoulder, only his apologetic eyes visible from underneath his bangs. "I- I'm sorry Blue, I didn't know it would upset you…"

I hold the glare for a moment longer before letting out a laugh, reaching over with my free arm and ruffling his hair teasingly. "Naw, I'm just playing around, Red. I'm not mad at you."

He stares at me blankly before his face screws up in a pouty expression of annoyance. "Bluuuue!" He whines, stomping his foot, (Well, as much as one can while walking.) "That wasn't nice! I thought you were actually angry with me!"

I chuckle a little more and tug on one of his ears lightly. "Aw, come on- would I be angry with you over such a little thing as that?" He frowns and bats at my hand slightly, letting out a squeak as I tug his ear.

"Bluuuuue!" He protests, though I can see him fighting back a grin. "Stop it!" I pull gently on his ear once more before withdrawing my arm. Green glances back over his shoulder at us, smirking slightly.

"If you two don't cut it out soon, I'm gonna have to separate you," He jokes, knowing it wasn't serious by any means. Both of us cut it out, but once Green turns his back on us Red reaches up and ruffles my hair playfully. Had it been anyone else but him, I would have gotten pissed off.

As it was, I just frowned a little- though I know he sees right through me. He grabs hold of my sleeve near the wrist, swinging my arm with his as we all continue walking. He hums a cheerful little tune, probably something he made up on the spot, and smiles up at me.

End Chapter One~

Okay, that's all of chapter one!~ Reviews would be appreciated, as well as questions or comments!~ I've got a fair bit of this already written up, but I'll upload the other pieces as time progresses! Hope you liked it, and hope I can post the next bit soon!

(1)- Okay, this may require a small explanation. In the FS manga, there's one part where Blue randomly gets this sort of 'Spidey Sense' that tells him there's another presence in the room; turns out, it's Shadow's little stalker minion rock thing. XD That's really the only time we ever see Blue do something like that, but for this story I sort of adopted it as one of my headcanons.

~Artimus-Maora


	2. Chapter 2 Oh, fine

Mine- Red x Blue

Author's notes! This story contains Blue x Red- don't like, DON'T READ!~ Simple as that. XD Not much to say other than that it revolves around all four of the Links, though primarily Blue and Red. I may or may not work Shadow into this later, but I'll have to see where I can put him in… XD Without further ado, here goes nothing!

Chapter Two- Oh, Fine.

After another few hours of walking, I notice Red's energy level is going down. His steps lack their usual spring, and his shoulders are drooping just slightly. I nudge him with my elbow gently to get his attention. "Hey, Red."

He blinks once or twice and shakes his head to clear it. "Huh?" I sigh and shake my own head.

"You getting tired already?" I tease gently.

"No!" He protests, a cute frown creasing his forehead. "I'm not tired one bit!" I roll my eyes and shift my backpack a bit, reaching out to Red with my free hand.

"Give me your backpack- I'll carry it for a little while," I offer. His eyes widen and his frown deepens.

"No way!" He protests, shifting away from me so I can't grab his backpack. "I won't make you carry my stuff- I can handle it! You don't have to do that!"

"But Red, I _want_ to," I insist, reaching out again. Vio probably thinks I'm an idiot- I can all but see him rolling his eyes. I'm also pretty sure Green doesn't notice any of us, since his back is still turned. "Just for a bit, until you get your energy back."

I can see that he wants to, but he's torn between getting the weight removed from his shoulders and not wanting me to have to carry anything more. "Are you sure you don't mind it?" He asks meekly, glancing back at me with huge eyes.

I shake my head and smile, hand still outstretched. "If I did, I wouldn't have offered, would I?" He grins back, finally removing the backpack from his own back and handing it to me.

"Thank you, Blue," He smiles, hugging me briefly as I shoulder his pack too. I grunt in response, hefting the extra weight with little difficulty. Within minutes Red is back to his normal sunny self, skipping along and humming.

Whenever we pass a patch of wildflowers, he darts over and picks the prettiest ones from the bunch. He begins to collect a fair few of them, ranging from daisies to buttercups to violets to Queen Anne's lace.

I absently watch him gather his bouquet, hardly noticing the added poundage of another backpack. I jump a bit when Vio nudges me from behind. "Hey Blue, I'm tired- can you carry my stuff for me, too?" He says in a falsely sweet voice, batting his eyelashes and smirking.

"Shut up, Vio," I grunt, feeling my cheeks redden a bit. "I saw he was looking run-down, and I knew he'd start bawling if he got too tired, so I stopped it before it could happen. That's all."

"Oh, of _course_ it is," He smirks, falling back again as Red crosses our path to sprint for a Black-Eyed Susan. "It always is, isn't it?"

"Are you implying something?" I grunt, not looking at him. "If you are, come out and say it to my face."

"Oh no, I'm not implying _anything_," From his tone of voice I can all but visualize his self-satisfied expression. I fight the urge to turn around and punch him- luckily for him, though, Red skips up in front of me just in time.

He tucks a single giant daisy behind my left ear, making sure it's secure before falling into step beside me happily. He's focused on doing something with his remaining bouquet of flowers, so I doubt he sees the blush that spreads across my face.

I hear Vio give a low chuckle, which pretty much translates to, 'I'm right, I'm always right, you've got a sweet spot for him.' I reach back and pretend to scratch the back of my head, giving him the middle finger as I do so. This prompts an actual snort of laughter.

To distract myself from my thoughts of murdering Vio, I return my attention to Red. "What 'cha got going there, Red?"

He glances up from the flowers in his hands, some of which appear to be woven together. He gives a small giggle and turns, hiding it from my view. "Don't look, Blue- I'm not finished with it yet!" He eyes the extra backpack. "Are you sure you're okay? I can take it back if you want me to."

"What? Oh, no, I'm fine," I shake my head, obediently diverting my attention elsewhere. "Continue on with whatever that is, then." He giggles and drops a few steps behind me, calling out that I'd better not try to peek at it before he finishes.

A few minutes later, Green waves me forward. "Hey, Blue," He calls.

I trudge up to him, grunting, "What's up?"

He eyes my backpacks curiously. "What's the deal with _that_?" He does not comment on the flower in my hair, for which I am thankful.

I give a noncommittal shrug as I reply, "Red was looking a bit beat earlier, so I'm giving him a break for a while."

"Oh," Green nods. He glances back over his shoulder at Red. "He seems lively enough now, though."

"Well, he bounces back pretty fast," I shrug again. "So what was it you wanted me for?"

"I was just wondering if you'd like to take the lead for a bit," Green turns back to me. "You know the way, right?"

"Yeah, well enough," I nod. "Sure, I can take over."

"Maybe you can use your 'sixth sense' to find a shortcut or something," He kids; I swipe at him irritably, but he anticipates it and dodges. "Though maybe we can break camp early, since Red is apparently in need of rest."

"Whatever," I call back to his already retreating form. I lead the group uneventfully for a half hour or so, until I hear a quick little pattern of footsteps approaching me from behind.

"Close your eyes, Blue," I hear Red giggle excitedly. I give a (feigned) tired sigh, shutting my eyelids.

"My eyes are shut, Red."

"Good!" I hear him scurry around to walk slightly to my upper left, and I sense him move close and hold something before me. "You can open your eyes now!"

I obey, and I see him standing before me proudly with a crown of flowers held delicately in his hands. That must have been what he was doing with all those wildflowers he'd gathered- I could spot all the familiar varieties woven together carefully.

"I made this for you, since you were nice to me and took my backpack!" He gushes, his excitement bubbling over and giving his footsteps a little extra happy hop. "Do you like it?" His shining blue eyes are wrinkled at the edges, pushed up by his cheeks from his enormous smile.

I let a smile tug at my mouth, hoping I'm not blushing at all. "It's beautiful, Red- of course I like it."

"Do you _love_ it?" His already-huge smile widens somehow.

I let out a laugh and nod my head, and I hear him giggle in happiness as well. "Yes, Red- I love it." He hops up on tiptoe and sets the crown atop my head, rearranging the daisy from before to be the focal point of the crown.

Smiling as though he's got the best secret in the world, he tugs on my sleeve to get me to lean down. He places his lips close to my ear and whispers, "You look amazing." He nuzzles me briefly before pulling away, opting to scamper along by my side as he hugs my arm and rests his head against the side of my shoulder.

I let out a sigh and feel the crown with my free hand, smiling slightly.

-SWITCH TO GREEN'S POV-

I drop back and let Blue take the lead, stopping by Red. "What's up, Red?" He looks up at me with a conspiratorial grin.

"Nothing much, Green!" He giggles. I glance at the project he's working on- it looks about three-quarters of the way finished, and unless I'm mistaken it's a crown of flowers.

"What's that?" I ask, merely seeking for confirmation. He giggles again and shushes me hastily.

"Ssh!" He laughs. After glancing furtively up at Blue, he continues in an undertone, "It's a surprise for someone, cuz he was really nice to me."

I feign ignorance. "Oh, who is it? Did Vio help you out somehow?"

"No, silly!" Red giggles. "I mean, I'm sure Vio has helped me out somehow before, but it's for Blue!"

"Oh, of course!" I smack myself lightly on the forehead. "I should have guessed- he's always looking out for you, isn't he?"

Red's face positively glows as he smiles shyly. "Yeah…" He scuffs the toe of his boot along the path as we walk, beaming down at the floor. "He's not always nice, but I know he cares underneath it all. He's… he's like a big teddy bear once you get past his mean outside!"

I let out a laugh at Red's analogy- It was weird, but it sort of fit in its own way. "I wonder what he'd say if he heard that."

Red's face switches from happiness to slight terror. "Oh, gosh, no! Please don't tell him I said that- he probably wouldn't like it!"

I laugh and hold up my hands. "Don't worry, don't worry- I wasn't going to tell, I was just thinking aloud."

"Think quieter," He pleads, pouting. "I don't want him to get upset- he's already doing me a really kind favor by carrying my backpack for me."

"That reminds me- I was gonna ask why it was an issue this time when it hasn't ever been before," I slap my fist into my palm as I remember.

"Oh- no real reason, I just have more stuff now than I did then," Red shakes his head. "But I swear I can carry it all! Blue was just being nice- he didn't have to do that for me!"

"What more did you bring that you thought you'd need?" I query.

"Well, I had to bring my teddy bear along," He explains as if it's completely obvious. "I didn't have him before- I couldn't just leave him at home because he'd get lonely!"

"But teddy bears from Castle Town don't add a whole lot of weight," I point out. I don't state the other possibility, because I highly doubt it's true. Red couldn't have gotten weaker because if anything he's become stronger, just like we all have.

He evades answering me and just focuses on finishing the crown- upon its completion, he mutters a quick, "See you, Green!" before jogging up to present his gift to Blue. I fall back again to walk alongside Vio once he leaves.

"Green," He greets me casually as he flips a page in his book. I nod back, and occupy myself with observing the skies. Hardly a minute passes before I feel him nudge me gently. "Look," He says with a slight grin.

I follow the direction of his gaze and see Red midway through giving Blue his flower crown. It amuses me to see Blue accept the gift- warmly, even! - and then allow Red to reverently place the flowers on his head.

"Was I right, or was I right?" Vio asks with a hint of smugness, watching over the top of his book. I chuckle as Red pulls Blue down to his level to whisper something to him, nuzzling him before pulling away to cling to his arm.

"You weren't wrong, that's for sure," I concede. "He _does_ have a soft spot for Red. If anybody else had just given him that…" I chuckle aloud at the thought of how indignant Blue would have become- the sheer audacity of anyone to give HIM flowers, and then ADORN him with them!

But, since the giver had been Red, he accepted it without a hitch. "I don't think I've ever seen him so comfortable around any other person than he is with Red," I observe; though he's physically weighed down considerably, his tread is as light as it's ever been, and his hands aren't balled into fists like usual.

"Well, what did you expect?" Vio says plainly. "I think it's sort of obvious- I mean, it's clear that Red absolutely _adores_ Blue, and it's no mystery that Blue always takes special care to make sure that Red is always okay. I'm actually surprised neither of them has done anything about it by now." He turns another page.

"Well, when you put it THAT way…" I tap my chin thoughtfully. "You sure like to read between the lines, don't you?"

"It's more of a challenge than simply deducing the meaning behind words, yes."

"While we're discussing matters, how the heck do you think Blue always senses stuff?"

Vio rolls his eyes and sighs. "Green, that's not the type of thing I can answer clearly. If you want my best guess, then I would have to say that either he's the part of us whose senses are highly perceptive, or it's just an inexplicable phenomenon."

"I'll take your word for it," I sigh, no further ahead in the answer than when I'd asked the question. With nothing else to say, the next hour or so of travel passes in relative quietude. Vio just reads his book, Red clings to Blue, Blue leads us all, and I follow along aimlessly.

When there's an hour or two left before sunset though, I jog up to the head of the group. "Hey, Blue," I call to get his attention. He glances back as I approach, and to my slight surprise he waves a hand at me impatiently.

"Keep it down," He orders softly but firmly. I glance to his arm and see that Red's eyes are shut- he was practically sleepwalking. I grin apologetically, mouthing, 'We'll stop soon, okay?' He nods to show he understands, and I fall back again.

End Chapter Two!~

R&R appreciated! Hope to have the next chapter up soon too!

~Artimus-Maora


	3. Chapter 3 Break Time

Mine chapter 3

Author's notes! This story contains Blue x Red- don't like, DON'T READ!~ Simple as that. XD Not much to say other than that it revolves around all four of the Links, though primarily Blue and Red. I may or may not work Shadow into this later, but I'll have to see where I can put him in… XD Without further ado, here goes nothing!

...

As the time passes, Red's constant chatter grows slightly fainter. He lets his head droop onto my shoulder as we walk, and I don't protest. After a minute or two, he mumbles, "Hey, Blue?"

"Yeah?" I grunt in reply, glancing down a bit.

"Do you mind if I… just lean against you for a bit?" He asks. "I won't fall asleep or anything, but I just kind of want to shut my eyes for a little while. I just don't wanna walk off course or something."

I smile and shake my head. "Of course I don't mind, Red." I carefully extricate my arm from his slackened grip; he begins to protest, but quiets down when I wrap it around his shoulders. "Rest- I'll keep you going the right way."

He smiles and shuts his eyes, holding onto my tunic lightly as he makes himself comfortable against me. "Thank you, Blue." I chuckle a bit in response, giving his shoulders a small squeeze.

We lapse into silence after that. I'm vaguely aware of Green and Vio murmuring together a little ways behind the two of us, but it doesn't bother me any. After a while even that ceases, and the only sounds other than those of nature are our feet against the path and Red's soft, slow breathing.

I try to focus only on that sound- concentrating all my heightened senses on that one action of the boy leaning against my shoulder. I try to match my breathing to his own- slowing my lungs and heartbeat as I do. In… Out… In… Out… In…

So intent I am on my task that I don't sense Green approaching us from behind. "Hey, Blue!" He calls out, startling me.

I turn to glance over my shoulder, irritated that he might have disturbed Red as well. I make a sharp gesture with the arm I'm not holding Red with, signaling for Green to put a sock in it. "Keep it down," I hiss.

His eyes flick to Red's closed eyes, and he nods in understanding. He mouths to me, 'We'll stop soon, okay?' I nod to show I know what he's trying to say, and sensing that he got his point across, Green falls back once more.

Once he's relatively out of earshot, I give Red a small shake. "Red? You awake?"

His eyelids scrunch up in an effort to remain in his walking dreams, and he turns to hide his face in my shoulder. "Mmm…"

I take that as a yes. "We're going to stop soon, okay?"

"Okay," He mumbles, finally lifting his head from my shoulder and blinking sleepily. His face reflects confusion. "But it's still so light out…"

"We're going to make camp early," I explain. "We've got nothing but time." He yawns and nods, almost fully awake by now. He shows no intention of pulling any farther away from me, though, and I realize my arm is still curled around his shoulders. I hastily retract it, feeling somewhat foolish for some reason.

Suddenly, Red claps both hands over his mouth and turns to me with a horrified expression. "Oh my gosh, Blue!" He cries. "You've been carrying my stuff for me all day!"

I grin and shake my head. "It's not an issue, Red-"

"Yeah it is!" He protests hotly. "You shouldn't have to carry all my things!" He plants his fists on his hips and pouts angrily at me- he could rarely manage a full-blown glare, so pouting was his meanest expression for the most part.

"Look, Red, it's fine!" I grin more, amused at how worked up he was becoming. "It wasn't a problem _at all_, so don't stress about it. If it really bugged me, I'd have been complaining all afternoon."

A smile tugs at the corners of his mouth as he acknowledges the truth of my words. At that moment Green calls out, "You guys- what do you say we stop and make camp over here?" He strides over to a small wooded area, a short way off the path.

"Looks good to me," I nod. Vio just contributes his usual shrug, and Red nods. The four of us take our usual duties to set up camp- Red gathers kindling for a fire, Vio and Green clear out a circular area for us all, and I go hunting to see what I can find.

By the time I return with two good-sized rabbits, everything is set up like normal. Vio is perched on a log by the fire, his nose in his book; Green is checking the edge of his sword, making sure the blade is clean and well-honed; Red is sitting cross-legged by the fire, playing with his teddy bear. He looks as though his energy has somewhat returned.

"Yo Green!" I call out, tossing one of the rabbits at him. "Help me skin these, will you?" He catches it in time, nearly dropping his sword.

"Blue! If I dropped my Four Sword and scratched the blade-"

"-You'd have broken a law of magic," I snicker. "Remember when Vio went over that these blades are damn near impossible to break by accident?"

"Shut up, you know what I mean," He grumbles, though he helps me skin and prepare the rabbits to be cooked and eaten. Everybody knew Red was a fantastic baker, but it wasn't exactly common knowledge that I just plain liked to cook. I've been put in charge of the meal-preparing on this trip, and soon enough I've got the rabbits on their way to being done.

"Red, don't play too close to the fire," I warn, feeling like a mother watching over her toddler. "Your bear could catch fire if a spark gets caught in its fur."

"Blue, don't say things like that!" Red hugs his plush tightly to his chest, though he scoots a safe distance from the flames. "I'd be really REALLY sad if my bear… burned!"

"Well, you're out of the danger zone now, so you should be okay," I chuckle. "Anyway, you seem to be in higher spirits."

"Uh-huh!" He laughs. "I guess I was just a bit run-down, that's all."

"How come?" I inquire, curious and slightly concerned. He pulls his feet up underneath him, holding his teddy on his lap.

He fidgets a bit before answering evasively, "I've just been having a few troubles getting to sleep, that's all." Upon seeing my worried face, he quickly backpedals. "But it's not a huge deal! I've just been a bit preoccupied lately…"

"With what?" I frown, taking a seat on the grass beside him. Oddly, he won't quite look me in the eyes- he pets his teddy bear, staring into its button eyes instead of mine. I nudge him gently with my elbow. "Hey."

He glances up through his hair at me, his normally clear eyes holding something back. I tilt my head to the side a little, letting my concern show. "Red…" I reach out and lay my hand on his shoulder gently.

"If something is bothering you, you can always talk to me about it," I tell him quietly. "Even if you don't think I'll pay attention, I swear I'll listen to you and do everything I can to help." I quickly glance up to see if Green or Vio is eavesdropping- no signs so far. I glance away a bit awkwardly. "I don't like it when you're sad…"

I'm a bit surprised when Red reaches out and hugs me around the neck tightly, pulling me over to him. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me, Blue," He giggles, and it sounds like he's about to begin crying.

I chuckle and pat him on the back, a bit embarrassed. Hopefully neither Green nor Vio will choose to look over here right now- I know at least Vio will never let me live it down. I'm saved the awkwardness of extricating myself by Red removing his arms first.

"Oh, Blue, shouldn't you check the rabbits?" He asks, pointing over to the fire.

"You're right- I should." I pull away from him and check the two rabbits- they're done. As I call out for everyone to gather around, it strikes me; He evaded answering my question, the sly little bugger.

...

End chapter three~

Hope you all liked it! Sorry this one was so short- I couldn't find a better spot to break the action. XD Hope to get the next one up ASAP- as always, R&R appreciated! Thanks for reading!

~Artimus-Maora


	4. Chapter 4 Oh, no

Author's notes! This story contains Blue x Red- don't like, DON'T READ!~ Simple as that. XD Not much to say other than that it revolves around all four of the Links, though primarily Blue and Red. Enjoy!~

…

We finish up dinner, but it's still a bit too early to go to sleep. Green and I are debating about how we should divvy up the watch shifts for the night, Vio somehow still has enough firelight to read his book, and Red is once again playing with his teddy bear.

Green takes a break from trying to negotiate with me by calling over to Vio, "You know your eyesight is only going to get worse if you read in light like this, right?"

"Mm-hm," He grunts, turning another page. "That is why I have reading glasses, Green- to help me see better."

"Your eyesight deteriorated _because_ you read like this…" Green sighs and shakes his head, knowing he's pretty much just wasting his breath. If Vio wanted to read, nothing would stop him from it.

I switch my attention to Red- his energy level seems to be almost fully back to normal. He's on his feet, tossing his teddy bear into the air and catching it again. "Fly!" He cries happily as it becomes airborne, and he races to catch it before it hits the ground, sometimes doing a complete dive to save it. It's a bit funny to watch.

Suddenly, though, the situation loses all of its humor. I feel my blood run cold as I see him unconsciously edging closer to the fire. I take a step away from Green, an unnamed feeling of dread hitting me in a powerful wave. I ignore his question as to my intentions as I break into a run.

I see it happen in perfect clarity. Red tosses the bear into the air with a smile, his only focus being its path back to the earth. He steps to position himself below it, but there's a big rock underneath his foot.

His azure eyes widen as he loses his balance, and his expression instantly changes from gaiety to horror as comprehension courses through him. A frightened cry escapes his lips as he tumbles backwards in a course right for the heart of the fire.

In my mind there is only one objective right now- protect Red. By this time I'm close enough to reach out and grab him, yanking him roughly back and away from the flames to safety. We collide and topple over; he lands on top of me, but I barely notice the impact because he's somewhere other than in the fire.

He's quaking with fear, and his blue eyes are almost impossibly round a few inches away from mine. He opens his mouth to speak, but falls dead quiet when we hear the odd noise of something forcing a burning log to break. He sits up on top of me and twists around- I can practically hear his heart stop at the sight we see. His teddy bear- which had been untended during the fall- had landed directly in the fire.

As though he's walking through water, Red rises very slowly and stares into the embers. All at once he makes a lunge for the fire, screaming, "TEDDY!" Green and Vio react in a blink- they're on either side of him, wrestling him back and restraining him.

"Red, calm down!" Green yells, actually having difficulty holding down Red's thrashing limbs. (This was one of the times when Red's considerable strength actually showed through his fragile form.)

"NO!" Red screams, tears literally gushing from his eyes. "NO NO NO!" Vio finally gets a good grip on him and flips him to the side, hurling him backward and away from the blaze. Red lands hard on his back and just stays there, thrashing and screaming.

"Calm down, Red, it was just a toy!" Vio says, more patience than usual in his voice but still not enough. Red's tantrum drowns out Vio's reasoning effortlessly. Green turns and shoots a helpless look at me, pleading for my assistance.

I get up from where I'd been sitting- still stupefied from the first incident- and drop to my knees by Red's side. I block his thrashing limbs, reaching out and gently grabbing him around the middle. I pull him towards me and onto my lap, pinning him down to still his struggles.

"Red…" As soon as I speak and he hears my voice, the change is noticeable and dramatic. Red doesn't try to fight me off; instead, he clings to me and buries his face in the front of my tunic, sobbing uncontrollably.

Uncomfortably aware that Green and Vio were still watching me, I do my best to ignore them. "Ssh…" I hush him, rocking him gently and stroking his hair a little. "It's all right, Red, it's all right…"

"N-no! It's not all right!" He sobs, tightening his grip on my shirt. "My t-teddy's g-gone!"

"Ssh, ssh…" I cradle his upper body, leaning in to whisper to him and him alone. "It'll be okay, I promise you. It's just a stuffed toy; we can get you a new one…"

"But it'll never be the same!" He protests with a hiccup, blindly reaching up to hug me tightly around the neck. "It just won't be!"

"I know how it feels, Red," I agree gently, "but you know what? Sometimes being different is good. It'll be even better than your old one." I impulsively kiss the top of his head. "I promise."

He doesn't reply; he only weeps. I continue to hold him and rock him soothingly, comforting him to the best of my ability. Finally his sobs begin to lessen in quantity and volume, and after a while they cease altogether as he cries himself to sleep against me.

I hold him a minute longer to make sure he's fast asleep before coaxing his grip off of me. I lay him down ever so carefully, fetching his blankets and covering him warmly. I sit down beside him after that and softly brush his hair back from his forehead, as if doing so could help alleviate the bad dreams I knew were going to begin soon.

I glance up to see Vio and Green just staring at me in wonder and awe. "How in Hyrule do you do that, Blue?" Vio asks, for once visibly amazed.

I feel my cheeks grow hot, and my usual scowl springs back into place. "Shut up, Vio."

"No, I'm honestly curious as to how you knew how to calm him down," He continues despite my gruff rebuttal.

I scoff a little bit, glancing back down at Red's sleeping form. I hesitate for a moment before grunting, "…Did you guys know that he has nightmares?"

Both Green and Vio appear perplexed. "Are you serious?" Green questions. "Red has nightmares?"

I nod absently, reaching out again to stroke Red's hair tenderly."Yeah- and lots of them, too. You guys never hear him wake up screaming sometimes?" They look aghast at this news, and they shake their heads.

I give a humorless chuckle. "Well, believe me on this- he does. And whenever they were bad enough to wake him up, he'd come to me." I pause a moment, tucking a wisp of blonde hair behind his ear. "But he doesn't always get lucky enough to wake up."

"Sometimes he just screams and screams, and he can't get out of his own night terrors. He acts a lot like this, and that's how I always get him to calm down, so… I figured there was a pretty good chance it'd work this time."

I glance up again- they're staring at both of us in a new light, like they've never seen us before quite like this. I frown a little, irritated. "What?"

"How come we don't hear him whenever we travel together like this?" Vio asks, one of his thin eyebrows arched in concern.

I drop my gaze to Red's face, tracing the paths of his tears down his cheeks with the pad of my thumb. "Because I can help him keep them at bay." My answer comes out in barely a whisper. Vio nods in understanding, and though I know Green doesn't quite get it, he's smart enough to not press the issue.

"How did you know Red was going to fall?" Green suddenly pipes up. "You were talking to me, then all of a sudden you looked like you'd seen a Poe Spirit, and you just turned and ran. By the time I even got halfway done figuring out what was wrong, you'd already saved him."

I shake my head with another dry chuckle. "I honestly don't know how I knew. It was like someone turned all of my blood to ice- and it felt like there was something… malevolent, I guess, right behind me. When I saw what was about to happen, I put two and two together and started running."

Green and Vio stare at me for a second longer, still silent. Finally Green walks over to me, clapping me on the shoulder. "Well, however the hell you did it, you were just in time."

I give a small scoff. "Though it's a real pisser that I couldn't stop the toy from falling into the fire- I was a bit… preoccupied."

"That's understandable," Vio chuckles dryly. "You accomplished the most important thing, though- Red is all right." He raises his eyebrows at me with a slightly shrewd expression- I steadfastly ignore him.

"You know what, Green?" I say. "I guess I can take the first shift of the watch tonight." I run my thumb gently over Red's cheek again, forgetting for a moment that Green and Vio are watching.

"All right, Blue," Green stands up and walks a short distance away, sitting down and pulling his blanket over himself. "Wake me up whenever you get tired." He grins. "And you'd better actually wake me up."

I snort a little as Vio prepares to sleep too. "Whatever, Green. G'night, guys." They mumble goodnights as well, and the camp lapses into silence. The only sounds are the occasional snaps and hisses from the dying embers of the fire. I let my gaze roam around the campsite, keeping all of my senses on high alert for even the slightest disturbance. It's not long, though, before I pick up an anomaly that saddens me.

Red begins to twitch slightly in his sleep, and his eyes begin moving rapidly underneath his eyelids. A small, frightened moan escapes his lips, and his forehead creases in a worried frown. I lay my hand on his forehead, sliding it back to brush his hair away from his eyes.

My hand comes to a rest cupping the side of his face as he whimpers softly. _Don't cry, Red_, I plead silently, watching him painfully. _Please don't cry… _A single tear leaks out of the corner of his eye as he curls up on his side, trembling.

I frown sadly, pulling his head and shoulders onto my lap. I stroke his hair and shush him quietly, hoping that somehow I'm helping. He whimpers again, shivering and pulling his knees up to his chest.

It had to be the dreams again. Whenever we were home from an adventure and the nightmares plagued him, he would leave his room in the middle of the night and quickly but silently make his way to my room.

-Flashback-

I'm already awake when he enters my bedroom. Sometimes his cries wake me when this happens, but not all the time. I just somehow know when things are not okay- it's another of the times when I'm grateful for my strange intuition. He comes to a stop by my bedside, timidly standing there in his long-sleeved, oversized red nightshirt. "Blue?" He quietly squeaks. "A-are you awake?"

I roll over to face him and nod. "Uh-huh."

"C-could I spend the night here?" I've never refused him yet, and nor do I plan to. I hold up the edge of my covers with a gentle smile. He crawls up beside me gratefully, snuggling down into the mattress against me.

"Another bad dream?" I ask softly. He nods, launching into a brief explanation of his dream. His dreams often deal with things he's done, like fighting and killing the various monsters of Hyrule or witnessing a battle and seeing death.

Each of us four cope in different ways with what we do; none of us exactly speak about it, but we each have ways to vent. Green and I train with one another, and I suspect Vio keeps a written journal somewhere detailing the events.

For Red, though, there isn't a good outlet. He doesn't want to be a violent person, so he doesn't spend every free moment training- nor does he particularly enjoy writing. For the most part he keeps quiet, but his conscience comes through in his dreams and turns them into nightmares.

After he explains his nightmare to me, I offer some comforting words and a small hug, seeing how he's more upset than normal. I let him spend the night with me, and in the morning neither of us mentions it.

-End Flashback-

That's how I typically deal with his normal dreams. His recent nightmares, though, have been different than the other ones. They've been increasing in frequency; I'd find him either by my bedside or thrashing about in his own room multiple times a week.

He would show up in my room, tears silently dripping down his face, not even saying a word as he climbed up beside me without bothering to wait for an invitation. He would give no description of what disturbed him, only holding tight to me as I rubbed his back soothingly.

I never knew exactly what to say when he showed up after what must have been the same awful dream, so I would just end up saying, "The same one?" He would always nod, pressing his face into my neck. "Do you want to tell me about it?" Every time he would fervently shake his head no, biting his lip. "Okay." I'd submit without argument, and I continued to rub his back until he fell asleep.

The scenario usually went the same when he _didn't_ wake up, except I would walk to his room and hold him until he jolted himself awake. I would then carry him back to my room and comfort him until he fell asleep.

Up till today, neither Green nor Vio knew that Red experienced such nightmares, and I highly doubt they would have suspected me to be so capable of calming him to this degree. I sort of preferred it that way- not only do I respect Red's privacy on the issue, but I don't exactly want it known that I have a gentler side. Apparently Green and Vio can tell, though.

I shake myself from my thoughts. I've stopped stroking Red's hair by now, and he appears to have made it past the worst part of his dream. He's sleeping soundly, cuddled against me and nuzzling the hand that rests on the side of his face.

I hold him gently that way until the moon rises to a certain point in the sky. At that time I call out, "Green?"

Being the heavy sleeper that he is, he doesn't hear my call at first. I pick up a nearby pebble and throw it at him- it hits him in the shoulder, and he sits up grumpily. "What?"

"It's your turn for the watch."

"Oh." He rubs his eyes, taking in the fact that I'm still holding Red protectively. "I'll take it from here, Blue- you should go to sleep."

"Okay, Green- I'll give the sleeping thing a shot." I nod with a slight grin. I ease Red off of me carefully, adjusting his blankets so he's fully covered before I pull out my own blanket and lay down close by.

I close my eyes and fall asleep, wishing I could replace Red's troubled dreams with the empty blankness of my own.

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End Chapter Four~

A bit of a mood whiplash here… ^^; God, I hope Blue didn't seem OOC kind here… I probably came pretty close to that line, even if I haven't crossed it yet. XD I had a hard time writing this- it was so hard for me to do that to poor Red! QAQ But it had to happen… It'll get better, I promise! XD And trolly Vio is trolly~ XD

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~Artimus-Maora


	5. Chapter 5 Dreams and Schemes

Author's notes! This story contains Blue x Red- don't like, DON'T READ!~ Simple as that. XD Not much to say other than that it revolves around all four of the Links, though primarily Blue and Red. Enjoy!~

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When I wake up in the morning, Red is the one on watch. He's sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest, his arms folded atop his legs and his chin resting on his arms. When I sit up and stretch, he glances over and smiles a little.

"G'morning, Blue," He greets me. His tone is tinted with sadness- it's a disturbing difference from his usually cheery early morning persona.

"Hey, Red." I rise to my feet and fold my blanket precisely, storing it away. I walk to his side and sit down. I glance back at Green and Vio to make sure they're asleep and not eavesdropping before I mutter, "Was it the same dream?"

Red bows his head a little, frowning. "Yeah," He admits quietly, playing with his hands. He doesn't elaborate further, so I just sigh. I reach out and wrap my arm around his shoulder, squeezing him briefly.

"If there's ever any way I can help, just tell me," I whisper. I hastily retract my arm as I sense someone stirring behind us, and not a minute later Vio approaches. "Hey Vio," I call without looking as he opens his mouth to speak.

He shuts it, slightly miffed that I beat him to the greeting, and I inwardly chuckle at my minimal victory. "Blue, Red," He nods. "Did either of you see the sunrise this morning?"

"No- by the time you woke me up for my watch, it was already getting light out!" Red shakes his head with another frown. "You should have woken me up sooner- there was only about an hour left!"

"You needed sleep more than I did," Vio simply shrugs. Red pouts stubbornly and folds his arms.

"Well, fine then! Blue!" He rounds on me. "You take the watch before me tomorrow, and you had better wake me up on time! No, wait! I'll just go first!"

"We'll decide how to divide up watches when the time comes." Green's voice pipes up from behind us. "Red, calm it down. It all evens out one way or another."

Surprisingly, Red looks as though he might argue back; then, his shoulders sag and his face turns blank. "Okay, Green," He says in a meek, inoffensive tone of voice. He doesn't speak any further than that, simply standing up and silently folding his blanket.

The four of us have a breakfast consisting of some food we brought with us- Vio brews some tea for himself and Green while I make myself some coffee. Red just has water, sipping it quietly and staring blankly into the fire.

We pack up camp quickly and set off again; I, for one, am eager to leave the site of Red's personal tragedy. Maybe if we put some distance between us and the campsite, Red will start to act more like himself again. His steps aren't like they were- he drags his feet, keeping his gaze fixated on them, and only barely keeps pace with the group. He doesn't talk to any of us- he's just off in his own world of thoughts.

I do my best to stick by his side, trying to walk the fine line between 'too far to help in an instant' and 'too close to be comfortable.' He doesn't acknowledge my presence, but I like to think he stays just a little bit closer to me than to the others.

Through the next few hours, I make various attempts to draw him from his funk and return him to his typical happiness. My efforts prove fruitless, though. It's hard for me to see him acting like this; it's just unnatural. I usually brushed off his cheeriness as irritating and troublesome, but without it everything just feels… wrong.

It's almost physically painful for me to see him like this. I cast a glance back at Green and Vio to see if it disturbs them as much as it does me- Vio's engrossed in his book, as usual, and Green just seems totally normal.

How is nobody else disturbed by this? I feel like screaming to them that Red is not okay, that we need to be trying to cheer him up somehow. My fury at Green and Vio, combined with my worry for Red, must be showing in a conflicted mess on my face because Green taps me on the shoulder.

"Blue, are you okay?" He asks with concern.

"Of course I'm fine!" I snap, my defensiveness making my voice sharp and incisive.

Green shrinks back, hands upheld in a nonthreatening gesture of surrender. "Okay, okay," He backs off.

I growl under my breath, and I turn back to see Red gazing at me sadly. "Don't get mad at Green, please," He murmurs softly. "He was just concerned for you."

I drop my gaze with a sigh. "I know, Red- I'm sorry." I make a mental note to be as respectful to the other two as I can.

He gives a small shrug. "Don't apologize to _me_- I'm not the one you yelled at." He lapses into silence again, walking by my side in a dreamlike state of quietude. I bite the inside of my lip, thinking hard. There had to be some way to raise Red's spirits- it was too painful to watch him like this. How did he always try to cheer _me_ up?

Feeling slightly foolish, I reach down and pluck a daisy as we pass it by. Then a chrysanthemum. Queen Anne's lace. A violet. A bluebell. I amass a small but diverse collection of the colorful blooms, choosing only the ones that struck me as exceptionally perfect.

I'm not sure exactly the best way to go about it, but I do my best to braid the flower stems together into a crown. It takes me a little while to get the hang of it, but eventually I make a decent ring of flowers.

I reach out and touch Red's arm to get his attention- when he glances over, I smile a little and hold up the flower crown. "It's not as good as yours was, but I tried." Unexpectedly, my voice comes out soft and shy.

At first I feel a surge of joy as Red smiles, but then it fades as I see that it doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Blue… That's so sweet of you!" He raises a hand to his face, covering his mouth slightly as he grins.

I blush a little and chuckle, taking his wrist gently to pull him a step closer. I release his arm as I carefully place the crown on his head, arranging it so it sits perfectly in his golden-blonde hair.

He smiles a little wider, but still not like he used to. "Thank you, Blue." He hugs me gently around the middle. "I love it."

I smile back as best I can, tugging his ear playfully to try to make him laugh. "Heh…" This earns a tiny giggle purely out of reflex, but his smile fades shortly. It's just depressing- no matter what I do, Red simply won't cheer up.

The rest of the day passes in a bland haze of walking- nobody says much because there's nothing to be said. I'm too busy trying to think of a scheme to cheer Red up to speak much, and slowly but surely I devise a plan. It might work, but there are a few key issues that I can't find a way around. Damn!

I've been elevated to the 'leader' status for the time being, so everyone trails in a line behind me. I walk at a defined pace, staring straight ahead and trying to iron out the flaws in my plan. I don't want to ask Vio or Green for help, because they will probably ridicule me, but I can't think of any way yet that I can manage this on my own.

I don't notice the sun's position in the skies until Green finally pipes up, "Uh, Blue? Don't you think we should make camp now?"

I glance back irritably, and then take in the relative position of the sun. "But come ON! We're only a small way away at this point!"

"But Bluuuuueee," Red whimpers. "I'm tired…" His eyelids are drooping and his shoulders are slumped; he's practically asleep on his feet again. I bite my lip and look away, feeling guilty for not noticing how tired he is.

"Fine, fine- we'll stop for the night," I mumble, leading the group off the path. "You guys start setting up camp- I'm gonna see what I can find to hunt." The other three grunt in affirmative, and I take that as my cue to stalk off through the forest in search of game.

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End chapter five~

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Dear lord. XD I do believe Red came across rather PMS-y. XD I hope to God he didn't come off as too snappy- he's really bent out of shape from that bear incident, so he's not exactly in his normal mindset. XD And Blue is a bit OOC around Red cuz the others aren't there to tease him about it. XD As usual, R&R is appreciated greatly! I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can!~

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~Artimus-Maora


	6. Chapter 6 It's Coming Together Now

Author's notes! This story contains Blue x Red- don't like, DON'T READ!~ Simple as that. XD Not much to say other than that it revolves around all four of the Links, though primarily Blue and Red. Enjoy!~ Blue drops the F-bomb once or twice in this one, just so you know. XD

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Chapter Six

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I stomp through the trees, aware that I was making too much noise to catch anything half worth killing. I was just so mad at myself that I couldn't think of a way to make Red feel better! It also pissed me off HUGELY that neither Green nor Vio seemed willing to do anything to try to help- they just watched and told me not to get angry!

I hold Vio's bow by my side, growling and muttering to myself as I scan the trees for movement. I stand perfectly still as I see a wild turkey standing in a thicket, pecking at the ground in ignorance of me. I raise the bow and nock an arrow, pulling the bowstring back and taking aim at its head.

Right as I'm about to release the arrow, a low voice sounds in my ear, "Boo!" I jump about a mile, letting my shot soar wide and completely miss. The turkey squawks in alarm and tears off into the underbrush.

I spin around angrily and find myself face to face with Shadow. "What the FUCK, Shadow?" I snarl. "When the hell did YOU show up?"

"Oh, you know me," He snickers, leaning against a nearby tree. "I just sort of go where I please!"

"Then go please yourself elsewhere," I grumble. "You made me miss my shot." I trudge through the underbrush sourly and retrieve the misfired arrow.

"You seem even more pissed off than normal," Shadow laughs, turning to keep me in his line of sight. "Any reason, or do I just have that effect on you?"

"Any number of reasons," I grunt.

"Care to name a few?"

"… You." This earns a laugh from him. "Okay, fine," I sigh, leaning against a nearby tree and rubbing my forehead wearily. "Red's teddy bear got burned, and now he's really sad. I don't know how to cheer him up."

Shadow tilts his head. "I'm not even gonna ask how the toy got burned up- but Red is _unhappy_? And you said that even _you_ can't cheer him up?"

I give an irritated growl. "That's exactly what I said, yeah. And can you or anybody tell me why you all think I have some magic power over Red or something?"

"Because you kind of do," Shadow cackles. Upon receiving the furious glare I throw his way, he lets out another howl of mirth and shakes his head. "Blue, buddy, let me level with you here- whenever there's a team all of the members generally get along well, but there's always the pair of people that are just a little bit closer."

"In this case, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that it would be you and Red." He begins to pace back and forth lazily, arms folded casually across his chest. "I mean, the little guy rarely goes anywhere or does anything without asking you about it first, does he?"

"He doesn't like to be alone, that's all!" I defend.

"If that's the case, why doesn't he ever go to Green or Vio first?" Shadow refutes. "And don't try to tell me he does, because I've seen it- he _always_ goes to you first."

"Why the hell are you paying so much attention?" I mutter, creeped out and hoping I'm not blushing.

"That's the best part- I _never_ pay attention!" Shadow hoots. "And even THEN I see how much he likes you! That crown thing was so sweet I nearly vomited!" Shadow's laughter is **really** beginning to piss me off now.

"Get to your point," I hiss in a dangerously low warning tone.

"I am, don't worry!" He holds up both hands lightly. "And I can see that you're into him as well- don't give me that look! You know full well what I mean! You never let him lag behind, you always watch out for him, everything!"

"But like you said- that's part of working as a team!" I defend. "Quite literally, we're only as strong as our weakest link. If he lags behind, we all slow down- therefore I try to keep him to our pace."

"Bullshit," Shadow scoffs. "Tell me why you _really_ do that."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I deny flatly.

"Don't give me that crap." Before I know what's happening, Shadow draws his sword and swings it at my head in a downward strike. I barely draw my own sword to block his blade in time to stop the attack.

"What the- !" I can't even finish my shocked and outraged exclamation because Shadow plants his foot on my stomach and kicks me onto my back. He kneels down on top of me, one knee on the ground near my ribcage and the other firmly anchored on my sternum.

He holds his blade to my neck. "Say it." I consider beating him away, but then I decide it will only waste my time and energy.

I sigh and let my head thump back onto the grass tiredly, shutting my eyes. "Fine," I mumble. "I really care about him."

"Ya do more than just _that_," Shadow snickers, though he removes himself presently. He offers me his hand to help me up, and I grudgingly accept. He pulls me to my feet, and I dust myself off irritably.

"All right, so what if I like him? I grunt, feeling embarrassed and sour. "It's not like it'll ever go anywhere." For the second time in five minutes, Shadow kicks me to the ground. "WHAT THE FUCK, SHADOW?"

"You're a moron!" He hoots with laughter. "Haven't you been listening to a single word I've said?" He crouches down and pulls upward on one of my ears, earning an angry yowl from me. He leans in close and places his mouth near my ear.

"Red loves you." Upon saying that, he releases me; then he stands up again and walks back to his tree, leaning casually against it and observing me with a measured gaze. "So what are you going to do to make him happy again?"

I sit there for a moment, wrestling with my own unruly thoughts and the urge to strangle Shadow. "I… well, I've got a plan, but I've also got several problems with the plan."

"A plan is an excellent place to begin," He bobs his head and crosses his arms, grinning. "Care to elaborate for me?"

Since I see no point in delaying the inevitable by arguing, I simply begin. "I want to get Red a new bear at the village, since we're only about an hour away at this point. The only problem is… they'll notice me missing if I leave."

"Aw, there'll be _loads_ of teddy bears, chocolates, flowers, and EVERYTHING around there, huh?" Shadow laughs. "Especially since Valentine's Day _is_ tomorrow."

"Shut up, Shadow," I snap. "But you see my dilemma, right?"

"Yeah, I can see where you might be facing an issue…" Shadow taps his chin thoughtfully. "Though I'm not sure how you'd exactly get around this one…"

All of a sudden, something in my mind clicks and I snap my fingers triumphantly. "Shadow!" You can impersonate any of us four, am I right?"

He gives a noncommittal shrug. "Well, yeah. Why?"

"Because I think I just found the solution to my problem." I grin. "I'd need at most three hours to go round-trip; do you think you could pose as me from the time I leave until the time I get back?"

"Yeah, the shape-shifting would be easy- but the others would see through it eventually. I know Vio would."

"Vio isn't the issue here- you really just need to fool Red." I smirk. "And if you just lack advice on how to act like me, just get really snappy and refuse to speak to anyone."

"Simple enough in concept," Shadow snickers. "I'll give it a go- when do I start?"

"Sometime soon?" I ask. "I want to go while the shops are still open- I'll probably leave a little after dinner."

"I'll only help you out on this because you _really_ need it," He snorts, though he's grinning as he says it.

I roll my eyes and slap him on the back in a friendly manner. "Yeah, thanks, whatever," I grunt.

"Don't expect me to do this sort of thing a lot," He warns me. "I'm doing this as much for him as for you." When I give him a questioning look, he chuckles and shrugs. "What, you think _I_ like seeing him this unhappy?"

I grin and shake my head. "If that's your reason, then I won't disagree or anything."

Shadow grins back. "So, sooner rather than later?"

"Yep- I'll signal you after dinner."

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I put up a grumpy, moody façade all during dinner; none of the other three try to talk to me much. It hurts me a bit to distance myself from Red at a time like this, but there's not really a better way to do it. When I snap that I'm going away for a few hours to cool off, nobody objects.

Once I'm a safe distance away, I signal to Shadow. "They think I'll be gone for a while to blow off some steam- I don't think they should even bother you, but just hang here in case someone comes looking, okay?"

"Sure, whatever," Shadow snickers. "So all I have to do is moan and groan a bit somewhere angrily?"

"Yep," I snicker. "I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"

"Whatever, Blue," Shadow waves his hand. Before my eyes his tunic, hair, and eye color change to match mine. "Go make it better."

"I will."

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End Chapter Five~

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I hope y'all liked it! Woot, I got to include Shadow after all! XD I love writing as him- he's so off-the-wall about his remarks and such. XD I wanted to include him, but I didn't know how, and I also didn't know how to fix Blue's dilemma about his plan. But then I killed two birds with one stone! XD Figuratively, anyway. XD (Originally I'd planned to have Blue talk to Green about it, since Green doesn't get a very big spotlight here, but then Blue would be gone all night, and what stores are open all night? It just didn't make sense. XD)

As always, R&R is very much appreciated! c: Thanks for taking the time to read!

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~Artimus-Maora


	7. Chapter 7 I'll Always Be Here

Author's notes! This story contains Blue x Red- don't like, DON'T READ!~ Simple as that. XD Not much to say other than that it revolves around all four of the Links, though primarily Blue and Red. Enjoy!~

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Chapter Seven~

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I enter the town at probably six o'clock. Since Valentine's Day is tomorrow, there are people rushing around everywhere to purchase last-minute gifts and treats for their sweethearts. All the stores have their goods on sale, eager to draw in customers.

I roam the streets of the town, glancing into shop windows and searching for what I need. It's not long before a store's display catches my attention and draws me inside. I enter the shop and make my way to the display that I'd seen from the street.

A rack of fuzzy teddy bears is just inside the window- all of the bears have dark button eyes, fluffy tan fur, and satiny red ribbons tied in bows around their necks. I pluck one of the bears off the shelf, holding it and thinking how much Red would love to pet its soft fur. And since it's on sale right now, it's only 15 Rupees.

I decide to get him the bear. I tuck it under my arm and head toward the desk to pay- on an impulse I reach out and grab a small box of different chocolates for him as well.

"Hello, young man- is this all you'd like today?" The lady at the desk asks cheerily.

"Yes, ma'am," I nod.

"All right- that'll be 20 Rupees." She nods. "Oh, would you like to add a personalized ribbon for your teddy bear? It's no charge."

"Well, what are my choices?" I glance through the box of ribbons the lady sets on the table. After a moment of debate, I settle for one that bears the message, 'Be Mine.' I thank the shopkeeper and exit the shop, storing the bear and the box of chocolates in my backpack carefully.

On my way out of the town, I stop by a flower vendor as well. I glance through the different blossoms, having a difficult time choosing one. I finally settle for a plain, perfect scarlet rose bud. It's a bit cliché, but I think Red will like it. I purchase the rose and start making my way quickly back to camp.

…

"Shadow!" I call out quietly. "Where the hell are you?" A figure jumps down from above me, abandoning his tree branch of choice.

"So did you do it, Blue?" Shadow asks, still disguised as me.

"Yeah," I nod.

"Can I _see_ it?"

I sigh and dig around in my backpack, pulling out the teddy and showing it to him. "Drop that disguise- it's creepy talking to myself."

The illusion fades as Shadow takes the bear and looks it over. "Awww!" He coos, grinning. "He's gonna go absolutely _nuts! _Oh, look- 'Be Mine'- Blue, I never pegged you for a romantic!"

"Shut up, Shadow." I roll my eyes, reaching for the plush. He hands it back, but eyes my backpack.

"And you got him a rose? And chocolates?"

"How the hell can you tell?"

"I just guessed," Shadow laughs. "I figured you'd go all-out for him."

"Was that an insult of some sort?" I grumble, stowing the bear away.

"Only if you wanted it to be." Shadow glances back in the direction of camp. "I don't think a lot went down since you left. You should get back over there soon, though; they might start looking for you."

"Where are you gonna go?" I inquire.

"Oh, me? I think I'll just wait in the village for y'all," Shadow shrugs. "Don't look too hard, though, cuz you'll never find me!" Before I can even tell him thanks Shadow waves and winks, melting into the shadows of the forest.

I sigh and roll my eyes, trudging back to the campsite. Shadow was right- nothing had changed. Vio is _still_ reading his infernal book, Green is absently trying to start a fire using two dry sticks, and Red is just blankly watching Green.

Upon hearing my return, Red glances up. "Oh, hi Blue," He says meekly. The other two glance over as well.

"We were about to go look for you, Blue," Vio shoots a glare at me. "Next time you're going to go blow off steam, return earlier."

"Fine, geez," I grumble.

"But you're feeling… better?" Red pipes up.

"Yeah," I nod and glance away. "I just needed some time to cool off."

"You took an awfully long time to do nothing," Vio comments.

I shoot a glare in his direction. "Well, I figured I ought to chill out a little before coming back- it took a bit longer than expected because I'm not as calm and collected as _some_ people."

"Then work on it," Vio shrugs in his infuriatingly neutral tone of voice, ceasing to pay any more mind to me in favor of his precious book. I contemplate throwing a rock at his head, but I catch Red's gaze and decide against it. He still looks pretty down; he's just sitting cross-legged a short way from the fire, his expression somber and slightly melancholy. It's painful to see.

"Hey, Green," I call. As he switches his attention to me from his stupid fire project, I ask, "Did y'all decide on the watch order yet?"

"Well, no- but earlier Red said he wanted to go first, so-"

"Okay, then I'll take second," I shrug. "You and Vio can duke it out for third and fourth."

"Third," Vio cuts in.

Green sighs. "Guess I'm fourth, then. Whatever, I don't care- speaking of which, though…" He glances up to the skies. "We should probably turn in soon. Red, you ready to start your watch?"

"Uh-huh," Red nods. Everybody begins to get ready for sleep, pulling out their blankets and curling up on the grass. I, however, drag my stuff over to Red's side and sit beside him, my blanket around my shoulders.

"You doing okay, Red?" I ask, nudging him gently to make sure I've got his attention.

He glances up at me and gives me a small smile. "I've been better, but I've also been worse. How about you, Blue?" He reflects my inquiry back onto me. "You seemed… upset earlier."

"Oh, that was nothing," I deny, shrugging a little. "Just needed to clear my head a bit, that's all." I pause. "Are you cold? It gets kind of chilly when the sun goes down and the winds kick up."

"I dunno…" I reach over to his backpack and extricate his blanket, wrapping it snugly around his shoulders and leaning him against me. He giggles a bit, shutting his eyes. "Thank you, Blue." I wrap my arm around his shoulders and keep him close to me; he accepts this without pause.

We sit in comfortable silence for a while after that, watching the first few stars emerge from the darkening night sky. Red suddenly pipes up, "Hey, Blue? What's the name of that really bright star over there?"

I follow his gaze to the brightest star in the sky. "That's 'Tatiana_,_' Red," I answer. "It's the star that the Gerudo used to travel by before maps were made. It always points east, so they used it as a relative point to navigate from."

"How'd you know _that_?"

"Vio told me once," I shrug. I might not be the brains of the group, especially compared to Vio, but neither am I an idiot. "I don't remember when or why, but he did."

"I see," Red bobs his head. After a short pause, he turns his head to gaze at me with reproachful eyes. "You should really get some sleep, Blue."

"I'm not tired, Red," I shake my head, lying only a little- I could easily stay awake for both my watch and his yet.

"Blue, I want you to get some sleep," He repeats firmly. "Please- at least humor me and pretend to rest." He grins a little bit. I chuckle and roll my eyes, bumping my shoulder against his playfully.

"Fine, fine," I concede, lying down by him. He surprises me by reaching out to me and stroking my hair, then leaning down and kissing my cheek.

"Thank you for caring about me, Blue," He whispers with a slightly sad smile. "It… it means the world to me."

I smile back without a thought and take his hand from my hair, kissing his knuckles lightly. "Of course I care- I always have…" I tighten my grip on his hand and lower my voice to a barely audible whisper. "And I always will…"

He smiles wider and hugs me around the shoulders, pressing his face into my neck. I'm surprised to feel tiny drops of water; he's not sobbing, but a few tears are dripping from his eyes onto my neck.

I bring one of my arms up and stroke his hair, holding him close. "Red… why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying, Blue," He denies, sniffling a little bit. I sit up with a sigh and hold him a slight bit away, just far enough so I can clearly see the tears on his face.

"Red…" I repeat, concerned. "You can tell me…" He leans onto me, his head against my shoulder. He curls up against me, and I hastily shift positions so I can hold him in my lap. "You can tell me," I say softly again, stroking his hair and pulling him closer to me.

He buries his face in my tunic, crying silently. "I don't know why I'm crying," He admits in a tiny voice. "I just feel so… I don't know, I'm just sad!"

On any other day, I would have told him to man up and just get over it- but today is not like other days. I don't know how best to comfort him, so I just hold him close and rock him gently. "Ssh, ssh… Red, it'll get better… I promise you." I kiss his forehead gently. "I'll do everything I can to make it better."

"I know you'll try, Blue, and I'm so grateful for that," He sniffles, "but not everything can be fixed just like that…"

"But I'm going to do my best." I press my lips to his forehead again, maintaining the contact this time. "I swear to you, it'll be all right." Red doesn't answer me this time- he just cries against me.

I rub his back soothingly, trying to calm him down again but not really getting anywhere. Finally I just sigh and give in, letting my head fall against his shoulder as well. To my complete and total shock, a single tear rolls down my cheek too.

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End Chapter Seven~

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Author's Comments!

Awww, I felt so sad at the end! D: Poor, poor Red…. ;u; But Blue has a solution, and the problem's end is nigh! There are two chapters left after this one. XDD Anyways, R&R SOOOOO appreciated!~ I hope y'all liked it, and hopefully you bear with me for the last few chapters!~


	8. Chapter 8 Finally

Author's notes! This story contains Blue x Red- don't like, DON'T READ!~ Simple as that. XD Not much to say other than that it revolves around all four of the Links, though primarily Blue and Red. Enjoy!~

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Chapter Eight~

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I don't know how long I hold him like that- both of us in mutual sadness but for different reasons- but I _do_ know that though he tires, he shows no signs of falling asleep. "Red," I finally murmur, "you need to go to sleep."

"But it's still my watch- and I made you stay up through it, too," He protests, glancing up at me with watery eyes. "I'll take your watch because you shouldn't have had to stay awake for all of mine-"

"Absolutely not." My tone of voice leaves no room for debate. "You need sleep more than I do right now, and I will _not_ allow any argument on this. Go to sleep, Red. I'll take it from here."

"But… I can't sleep," He whimpers. "Without my teddy… and with my nightmares…" He trails off and bites his lip to try to stem the flow of tears, but it isn't that effective.

"You fell asleep the other night, though?" I raise an eyebrow, confused.

Red gives a humorless laugh; coming from him, it's a scary sound. "That wasn't sleep- that wasn't even close! I was awake half the night because I woke myself up and was too scared to go back to sleep!" His voice has risen by now, and I'm surprised neither of the other two has noticed.

"How… how didn't I notice?" I whisper, feeling horrible. "Red, why didn't you wake me up?"

"Because there was no reason I should have woken you up _again_ just so you could tell me it'll be okay, because you do enough for me already and the _last_ thing I want to do is be more of a burden to you!" He rises to his feet and stumbles away from me, mopping his eyes with his sleeve.

"Red!" I hiss, softly so as not to wake the others but firmly enough so he stops and turns back to me. I get up as well and stride over to him, reaching out and enveloping him tightly in an embrace. "Haven't you been listening to a single damn word I've said? **You are not a burden to me**."

"I want you to stop thinking like that RIGHT now, do you understand me?" When he gives me no answer, I repeat, "Do you understand?" He nods meekly and leans into me, trying to stem the flow of tears again. "Good…"

I gently guide him back to where we had been sitting, coaxing him into lying down once more. I pull his blanket over him, feeling very protective. "Now I want you to sleep- got it?"

"Okay…" He sighs; as I lean away, though, he reaches up and grabs the front of my tunic tightly. "But can you… can you please stay nearby? I don't wanna… I mean…" He trails off, releasing my tunic and glancing away.

I give him a rare soft smile, leaning down and kissing him on the cheek. "Of course I will." I want to lie down beside him, but I know that will only result in me falling asleep; instead, I wrap my blanket around myself and lean against a tree trunk, pulling Red's head and shoulders up onto my lap.

He finally closes his eyes as I begin to stroke his hair, letting out a sigh. "Thank you, Blue…" He whispers quietly.

"You're welcome, Red," I murmur in return. I continue stroking his hair until he falls asleep, and even after that I keep it up. I pray that somehow it'll help to keep the nightmares at bay, even by just lessening them slightly.

Only when it's nearing the end of my watch and Red is fast asleep do I ease him gently off my lap so I can walk over to my backpack and rummage through it. I pull out my gifts for him, slightly nervous about actually giving them to him. What would he say? How would he react? Would he know they were from me?

It hasn't been even one minute since I've left him, and already I can sense him growing fitful and frightened from the looming nightmares. I approach his side again, kneeling down next to him and watching his eyes glance around wildly beneath his eyelids. The night terrors are beginning.

I reach out and take his wrist as gently as I can, pulling his arm away from his body where it's held close. I place the bear underneath his arm, replacing it afterward. Immediately he pulls the plush to his chest, pressing his face into the soft fur.

I smile upon seeing his unconscious reaction; maybe it wouldn't end half bad at all. I set the box of chocolates and the rose nearby, in a place where he couldn't possibly miss seeing them when he woke up.

After everything is properly arranged, I deem it time to awaken Vio for his watch. I load a pellet into the slingshot, taking careful aim and firing at him. The pellet hits him directly in the shoulder, and he sits up quickly with an angry grunt.

"Your watch," I call out in a stage whisper as he whirls around to glare at me. He seems as though he's about to yell something at me, but then thinks better of it and settles for giving me the middle finger. I snort and return the gesture without even missing a beat.

As he goes about the process of fully waking up, I pull my blanket from where I'd left it to by Red's side. I lie down beside him, even going so far as to wrapping my arm around his waist. I'm a bit surprised by Red's unconscious reaction.

He instantly snuggles closer to me, grabbing the front of my tunic in his fists and burying his head in my shoulder. As attached as he'd instantly become to the teddy, he almost totally abandons it in favor of cuddling with me. I don't know how to react.

From across the campsite I hear a soft wolf-whistle; I look over and see Vio smirking at me. He winks and raises his eyebrows suggestively at me- I shoot him the nastiest glare I can and mouth the words, 'Fuck you.' He replies with a silent laugh and the returned phrase, 'No, _him_.'

I give him a mortified look, and I probably blush too. I turn my back on him at that point, shutting my eyes and tugging Red slightly closer. He can laugh- it will be hard, but I'm not going to let it bother me. With surprising ease, I fall asleep.

…

In the morning, I awake to a surprised gasp sounding mere inches from my face. I open my eyes and see Red staring, stunned, at the teddy bear in his arms. He sits up slowly, his blanket falling from his shoulders, and gapes at the plush. He turns his head and catches sight of the gifts for him, and if it's possible his eyes widen even further.

He turns to me with a stunned expression, joyful tears glistening in his eyes. "Oh, Blue…" He whispers, eyes shining. "I… You… you did this… for me?"

I smile at him, glancing away to try to hide my blush. "Well, I…"

I don't get to say anything more than that because he throws his arms around my neck with a choked laugh. "Oh, Blue!" His laughter causes Green- who's currently on watch- to glance over with a grin. Upon seeing the situation, he smiles wider and gives me the thumbs-up before turning deliberately away.

I pat Red on the back, smiling as well without even knowing it. "I can't believe you did this for me!" He giggles, pulling away to stare at the bear in delight. "It's just like my old one- better, even!"

"Didn't I tell you that sometimes new things can be even better than the originals?" I smile, ruffling his hair teasingly. For the first time in what feels like forever, he laughs freely and openly. All of a sudden, he pulls back and claps both hands over his mouth.

"Oh my gosh!" He gasps. "I nearly forgot- hold on just a moment!" He stands up and darts over to where his backpack sits, digging around inside for a few seconds. "Close your eyes!" I obey his command and hear him kneel in front of where I sit moments later. "Okay, you can open your eyes now!"

I open my eyes and see Red holding out a brand-new hammer to me. "Your old one was getting kind of beat up, so I thought you'd like a new one!" He explains happily as my jaw drops.

"Oh, _wow_, Red…" I reach out and take it, testing how it feels in my grip; it feels marvelous. "It's perfect- thank you so much!" I give him a one-armed hug, grinning widely. _Now_ I understand why his backpack had been so heavy…

He giggles again. "Just don't hit _me_ with it," He laughs, only half-kidding. I ruffle his hair again, touched by his gift.

"You don't have to worry about that- I won't," I swear. "Just… Can you promise me one thing, Red?"

"Of course I can!" He nods enthusiastically.

I lean and touch my forehead to his, my eyes half-lidded. "Promise me you'll always tell me when you're feeling sad so I can help you all I can."

He smiles and nuzzles me, shutting his eyes. "I promise, Blue." For a moment I deliberate on my next action, but ultimately I've already made my choice. I tilt my head, lean in, and kiss him softly on the lips.

The effect is immediate- Red's eyes fly open and he becomes completely still for a moment. Milliseconds after that a blush spreads across his face, and he hesitantly kisses back. A second later we break apart, both of our faces tinted pink. Then Red giggles, moving to press his face into my shoulder. He mumbles something so softly I can't hear him.

"What did you say?" I ask.

"I said that I love you, Blue." If my face hadn't been bright red before, it certainly is now. I grin, burying my face in his hair.

"Love you too, Red," I murmur equally quietly. I don't think he hears me, and I'm about to repeat myself when I sense Vio stirring on the other side of camp. Green moves to intercept and distract him for a little while, but I know we've got to wrap this up quickly unless we want Vio to start staring.

I pull away from him enough to motion slightly away from us with my head. "We'd better… well, the other two are up."

"Right," He nods, understanding my meaning and pulling away from me. As we hear Vio start complaining about sleeping on one bothersome rock all night, Red and I stow away out gifts from one another. We start over to join the other two in conversation, and as we walk, Red takes my hand and squeezes it once. I return the pressure with the hint of a grin.

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End Chapter Eight~

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Author's Comments!

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Aww, Red finally got his new teddy! v I was so glad to finally give it to him, it just made my day! c: And yes, there's one more chapter coming after this! Hopefully I'll get to that soon! And one more thing- if you still have a question about anything in the story, ask me about it! If it's not explained in the story of the next chapter, I'll add a little Q&A thing to the author's notes of chapter nine. XD If I get enough of them- otherwise, I'll just answer them privately. XD

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As always, R&R appreciated!~ Hope to post quickly!

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~Artimus-Maora


	9. Final Chapter Truth and Comfort

Author's notes! This story contains Blue x Red- don't like, DON'T READ!~ Simple as that. XD Not much to say other than that it revolves around all four of the Links, though primarily Blue and Red. Enjoy!~

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Chapter Nine- Final Chapter

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As a group it takes longer to reach the village then when I travelled alone, but we make it in pretty good time nevertheless. Flowers and chain of paper hearts seem to be everywhere- Valentine's Day in this town was in full swing.

Green seems to be enjoying the festive atmosphere; Vio, too, seems visibly relaxed. Red is fairly skipping along, one of his arms linked with mine. I probably don't look as angry as I normally do, either.

We pass the store that I got the teddy bear from- all of us see the display simultaneously. Red turns to look up at me with an amazed and amused grin. I blush and look away, and Vio and Green raise their eyebrows.

"Red, we could get you one of those teddy bears," Vio suggests, indicating the window display. "I bet they'd be soft."

Red smiles widely, still gazing at me. "No thanks, Vio," He shakes his head with a giggle. "I already have my big teddy bear." So saying, he wraps his arms around my middle and rests his head on my shoulder happily. Vio's look of blank disbelief is comical enough to make even _me_ laugh.

Green rolls his eyes and chuckles as well. "Do I need to separate you two?" He jokes. "Come on, we still need to check in with the guards. We've got our work cut out for us yet today."

"We know, we know," I wave my hand as best I can with Red still clinging to me. "Let's get going already!"

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Needless to say, the new defense system for the village is a _mess_. The guards clearly have no training to speak of, and even with the help of the few emissaries from the castle, things aren't running smoothly at all.

Vio and I take on the task of overseeing the creation of the training program while Red and Green try to make sense out of the chaos that's happening with the troops themselves. We're all so busy that we scarcely even break for meals; by the time we all stumble into the inn at sundown, we're all pretty beat.

As usual, the four of us sleep in one room with four beds. Green and Vio doze off within minutes of lying down, but Red and I don't go to sleep just yet. Since his bed is closest to the window, we open it and perch on the edge of his bed together.

He's settled into my lap, leaning back against my chest, and I have my arms wrapped snugly around his waist. We alternate between talking softly about whatever crosses our minds and just being silent, sitting together and staring out at the velvet night sky.

Red smiles and raises an arm, pointing to the brightest star in the sky. "That's Tatiana, right?"

"Good memory; you're right," I nod, resting my chin on his shoulder. It surprised me how easily I was able to act amorously around him, especially when I knew Green and Vio weren't going to eavesdrop.

He giggles and turns his head to nuzzle me, holding his new teddy tight. "That reminds me…" I say after a minute. "Did you have any of the dreams last night? I didn't… You didn't wake me up, so…"

He shakes his head with a small smile. "Nuh-uh. I… I don't think they'll be back, either."

I smile genuinely and squeeze him gently. "That's wonderful." After a pause I say, "Would you mind if I asked you why?"

He shakes his head again. "No… I think I'm ready to tell you now." He settles into a slightly more comfortable position before he begins. "You know how I used to just get normal nightmares, right?" I nod in affirmative. "I think you know why. But those were manageable, weren't they? They were never anything I truly couldn't handle, and if they were, I just talked to you about them and they went away."

"But then my dreams started to change…" His voice takes on a more serious tone, and his grip on his teddy bear tightens- I likewise increase my hold on him as well. "They weren't just ghosts of the dead anymore…"

"They were ghosts of people who were going to die." That phrase hangs in the air for a moment before he amends it. "Well, it was really only one person… You." I nod, slowly beginning to understand his plight. "Over and over again- every time I dreamed, it was the same idea- you were being killed."

"It never happened right away- there was always something leading up to it. Sometimes you and I would just be spending time together, sometimes we'd be training… but it always started out with just the two of us alone."

"They never felt bad when they began- actually, most times I felt like I was finally going to have a good dream. At least, everything felt okay up to the point where things started to go wrong." His voice drops.

"One time a bunch of Lizalfos killed you when we were just sitting together in a field. You were watching me pick flowers, and they all crept up on us. I was too far away to help, and you screamed for me to run… and they killed you."

"There was another dream that happened on the battlefield. It was just you and me against all these soldiers without faces- no matter how many of them we defeated, there seemed t be an endless supply to replace them. You fought to keep me safe when I got knocked down, and you died trying to protect me."

I glance at Red's face and see tears silently trickling down his face, the rivulets turned to sparkling liquid diamonds by the light of the stars. "There was one dream that was really bad, Blue… It was my fault. We were just sparring together like we sometimes do, and everything was normal."

"It was going good until we both made mistakes- I swung my blade too far to the left, and you moved in that direction. My sword cut your shoulder and neck. The wound wasn't fatal, but you bled out in my arms. That was one of the worst dreams I've ever had…"

He bows his head. "You were always trying to tell me something when you died. You never managed to finish saying it before your life ended- it was always the same thing." He trails off.

I lean in and place my lips close to his ear, whispering the phrase I knew I'd been trying to say in his dreams. "I love you, Red." This time I know he hears me.

He leans back against me, shutting his eyes with a smile. "I love you too, Blue." He turns his head and places a kiss on my cheek.

I adjust my hold on his waist a bit. "And you never told me about the dreams because you didn't know what to make of them?"

"Pretty much…" Red admits. "I… I was sort of afraid that you'd figure out that I liked you, and that you'd hate me for it…"

"Well, you don't need to worry about that anymore." I shake my head. "If the dreams _ever_ come back, tell me."

"I know, Blue, I will." We fall silent, our attention once again fixed on the stars. Red snuggles back against me and yawns. "Are you getting tired too, Blue?"

"We can head to sleep, yeah," I nod with a smile. I nuzzle him before scooting away and standing up, intending to head back to my own bed. He gets up and follows me, though, remaining by my side. I don't protest, simply accepting it without question.

I climb into my bed, leaving enough room to allow Red to snuggle down by my side. Once we're both settled in I wrap an arm around his waist and tug him closer to me. "Sweet dreams, Red," I murmur softly.

Red touches his forehead to mine with a smile. "You too, Blue." For the first time in a very long time, both of us sleep soundly.

~The End~

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Author's Comments~

AMG, it's done! v I'm so happy I actually finished AND submitted an entire story… XD I've finished stories and never posted them, and posted stories and never finished them, but this time I managed. XD So, um… yeah! It's finally finished! ^^

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A couple of questions I thought I'd clear up; some relevant, some random. XD

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Q. How the hell long was Red hiding that hammer from everyone?

A. Good question. I think he probably saw it at some point, bought it for Blue, and waited for the right time to give it to him. That could have been any length of time, really; we DO know, however, that he finally chose to bring it along with the intent of giving it to Blue here. XD Thus the extremely heavy backpack.

Q. Why is Blue so OOC nice around Red?

A. Because that's the point of the story- to emphasize how Blue acts toward him, and how differently he behaves around Red than with the others. XD Plus, he's really the nicest when he knows the others aren't watching.

Q. Where the hell did Shadow come from, and where the hell did he go?

A. I… don't have an excellent answer for that one. ^^; I seriously needed something to help me fill the plot hole with Blue planning to get Red a new teddy, and I wanted Shadow to appear in there somehow, and it just worked out that way. XD My theory is that Shadow goes where he wants to go and does what he wants to do- regardless of whether it's with the other four or not. And, um, the thing about him not being able to be in light- forests are pretty shady as a rule, so I believe he avoided the worst of it.

But no, I don't really know where he went off to after Blue met with him. XD That's sort of what he said, though- he could be really anywhere, and they wouldn't know. He probably just kept a low profile so he didn't have to help with the work. XD

Q. Are you gonna write more Blue x Red, or other Zelda stories?

A. You can bet your ass I will. ;) I believe in more than one ship for Blue, but I primarily write only for Blue and Red. And my other Zelda ships change with the winds… but rest assured, if I write something, I WILL post it here!~

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Thank you all SO much for following this story, and for writing all the lovely reviews!~ Tell me what you thought about the story; likes, questions I didn't answer, dislikes… Anything! I love to keep improving, and I can really only do so if people point out my flaws! XD

Thank you all so much, again! I love y'all!~

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~Artimus-Maora


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